What does the NASA administrator do? The agency’s leader reaches for the stars while navigating budgets and politics back on Earth

NASA administrators have hard choices to make, but the outcomes are often out-of-this-world exciting.

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University • conversation
Dec. 6, 2024 • ~7 min

Some black holes at the centers of galaxies have a buddy − but detecting these binary pairs isn’t easy

Most objects in the universe have been around for way longer than modern astronomy – digging into historical records can help scientists shed light on a cosmic mystery.

Jonathan Zrake, Assistant Professor of Physics, Clemson University • conversation
Dec. 5, 2024 • ~9 min

Liquid on Mars was not necessarily all water

New study proposes that some of the minerals seen on Mars today may have formed in liquid CO2 instead of water.

Nancy Wolfe Kotary | MIT Haystack Observatory • mit
Dec. 4, 2024 • ~4 min

As Space Traffic Grows, UN Calls for More International Cooperation
VOA Learning English • voa
Dec. 4, 2024 • ~5 min

NEOWISE, the NASA mission that cataloged objects around Earth for over a decade, has come to an end

Once the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer couldn’t survey widely anymore, NASA scientists switched gears and began using the spacecraft for planetary defense.

Yaeji Kim, Postdoctoral Associate in Astronomy, University of Maryland • conversation
Dec. 3, 2024 • ~9 min

Trump may cancel Nasa’s powerful SLS Moon rocket – here’s what that would mean for Elon Musk and the future of space travel

The Space Launch System is a crucial part of America’s plans to return to the Moon.

Yang Gao, Professor of Robotics, Head of Centre for Robotics Research, King's College London • conversation
Dec. 2, 2024 • ~9 min

It’s 100 years since we learned the Milky Way is not the only galaxy

In 1924, astronomer Edwin Hubble realised two objects were too distant to be inside our galaxy.

Jeffrey Grube, Senior Lecturer in Physics Education, King's College London • conversation
Nov. 20, 2024 • ~8 min

Donald Trump’s approach to US space policy could throw up some surprises, especially with Elon Musk on board

We already have some clues to what the Trump administration will change on space policy.

P.J. Blount, Assistant Professor in the Durham Law School, Durham University • conversation
Nov. 13, 2024 • ~9 min

Japan Launches World’s First Wooden Satellite
VOA Learning English • voa
Nov. 11, 2024 • ~5 min

Why does everything look flat even though the Earth is round?

It’s all about perspective: The higher you go, the more you can see the curve.

Kelly R. MacGregor, Professor of Geology, Macalester College • conversation
Nov. 11, 2024 • ~5 min

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